Owen Bradley – Cherished Hymns album art
Source: www.flickr.com Uploaded to Flickr by Bart Solenthaler and tagged with “spire” and “lydian”. License: All Rights Reserved.
Two typefaces from the late 1930s, used together for an album of “cherished hymns” for organ and chimes, played by Owen Bradley (1915–1998) and released on Coral Records in 1952.
The extracondensed roman in red is Spire. With the title sandwiching the church spire, it’s easy to assume it was chosen for its name. Drawn by Sol Hess, Spire was issued by Lanston Monotype in 1937, originally in all caps. The unknown designer employed the optional R with vertical leg, but none of the other alternates.
Additional lines are set in two weights of Warren Chappell’s Lydian, first cast by ATF in 1938. All text is shown on an ascending angle, counterbalancing the church tower that’s leaning in the opposite direction.
